Sand container



Sept. 16, 1941. J. c, MccuNE SAND CONTAINER Filed oct. 31,. 1940 EO, 2i214 E9 28 INVENTOR JOSE FH C. McCUNE Y E N R O n A Patented Sept. 16,1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAND CONTAINER Joseph C. McCune,Edgewood, Pa.,

Westinghouse Air Brake Company,

assigner to The Wilmerding,

Pa., a corporation of/Pennsylvania Application October 31, 1940, SerialNo. 363,667

4 Claims.

hicles have been designed as an integral part of' the vehicle orattached thereto in a manner substantially forming an integral partthereof. These containers are inspected periodically and when necessaryare replenished with dry sand, the replenishing operation being usuallyperformed from the inside of the vehicle. These containers are usuallyof such size as to carry sufficient san-d for a complete trip or trainrun. However, the amount of sand used for any given trip varies inaccordance with the operating and track conditions encountered duringthe trip.

In modern trains which operate at much higher speeds than has beencustomary in the past, greater and quicker acting braking forces arerequired to decelerate or stop the train in the relatively shortdistances required to meet operating schedules and ensure the safety ofthe trains. In order to avoid slipping or sliding of the wheels underthese trains various arrangements have been proposed, and some are inuse which operate to sand the rails under the train more frequently thanhas been done in the past. In certain arrangements sand is even appliedsimultaneously to the rails at a plurality of different locationsthroughout the length of train in order to obtain the maximum ofprotection.

Heretofore, sand has usually been carried in containers or receptaclesprovided on or in the vehicle bodies where plenty of space is available.However, on modern high speed trains the available space either insideor outside the vehicle body for sand carrying containers is very limitedand since the amount of sand consumed has been materially increased,inspection of said sand containers must be more frequent to insure thatthe vehicle is provided with an adequate sand supply. The arrangementsof sand containers, inside the vehicle takes up considerable room andare such that the inspection and replenishing of the containers withsand enroute causes annoyance and in some cases inconvenience to thepassengers.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a sand container orreceptacle for a vehicle which is constructed and arranged so as toeliminate any inconvenience to passengers and at the same time dispensewith the need for inspection of the sand containers by a highly trainedin- Spector. According Vto the invention this object is accomplished byproviding a portable sand carry# ing container or receptacle adapted tobe readily associated with or disasscciated from the sanding equipmentpermanentlyliixed to the vehicle, so that, when it is discovered byinspection that the sand container on the vehicle is nearly empty,

it may be readily removed from the vehicle and another fully chargedcontainer substituted therefor, by even an unskilled1 workman.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following moredetailed description of the invention. K

In the accompanying drawing Fig. lis an end elevational view of the sandcontaineror receptacle shown detachably secured in place to a mountingbracket which is iixed to a portion Vof the sand deliverysystem, whichportion of the system is shown in section; Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsectional View of the container and its mounting bracket, taken on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the sandcontainer or receptacle removed from themounting'bracke't.

As. shown in the drawing, the sanding system comprises a sand containeror receptacle I which is detachably secured to a mounting bracket 2.This bracket, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing,

scribed in the copending application of Joseph C. McCune, Serial No.297,115, led September 29, 1939.

This type of sanding system comprises a conveyor screw 5 which'ismounted in a bore 6, and is arranged to carry sand from an inlet port 'Ito an outlet port (not shown), for delivery to thesurface over which a`wheel of the vehicle rolls.

According to the invention, the portable sand container or receptacle lcomprises a casing 8 having at opposite ends thereof windows 9 andhaving a hopper bottom I0 provided with valves Il and l2 which arenormally held closed -by springs I3 and Ill, respectively, for cuttingof! communication from a sand storage chamber l5 dened by the walls andhopper bottom of the container. This chamber is adapted to be charged oriilled with dry sand I6 through the open upper end of the end is closedby a removable cover l1. .In the present embodiment of the invention,the cover container which open I'I is secured to the container by meansof a bolt I8 and a wing nut I9 and is for the purpose of excludingmoisture and foreign matter from the sand.

The mounting bracket 2 comprises a casing 4 having the opposite sidesthereof sloped downwardly and inwardly to a hol-low tube-like sandconducting portion 20 which is provided at the end thereof with a flange2|. This flange is adapted to be secured in any suitable manner, suchfor instance as by cap screws 22, to the sanding system in a manner toestablish communication between a chamber A23 in the casing and the sandinlet port 24 'leading to .thec'o'nveying screw of the sanding system.

upwardly extending projections 2-5 a-nd 216 which are so arranged as toengage the valves II and I2, respectively, in the container I when thecontainer is .positioned on the mounting bracket 2.

the container I is being thus positioned the closed valves II and I2 rstrest on the vupper endof the projections 25 and 25, respectively. rEhecontainer is then forced downwardly relative to the bracket to Vtheposition in which itis shown in Fig. .2, so that the valves I I and -IZwill Ibe opened against .the opposing pressure of the biasing springs.`With the container I thus -posi- .tioned on the bracket 2, an opening28 provided at .each vend of the container I aligns with ascrew-threadedopeni-ng 2S provided -in each end of the bracket 2. A capscrew 30 'is then inserted through each opening in the container I andis screwed into the opening 29, `so as to rigidly clamp the container tothe 'bracket 2. Now with the container I thus secured in place, theprojections 25 and 26 maintain the valves II .and I2 open against thevopposing force ofthe springs I3 and I4, respectively, thereby main#ktaining an open communication between chambers I5 and 23 through whichsand may flow by gravity from chamber I5 to chamber Y23 and therebythrough the hollow tube like portion 4to the inlet port 24 Iof thesanding system.

It will be understood that when an empty'or partially empty lcontainer Iis to be removed from the mounting bracket 2 in order to substitute acharged `or -full container, Kthe cap Ascrews 3B are removed and thecontainer I, as a unit, may be removed from the bracket. As thecontainer is being separated from the bracket, the springs I3 and 1.4-act to close the valves `I I vand I2, respectively, so that any sandremaining in the .container is not lost or spilled.

It will here be noted that a plurality of .charged containers may bekept on hand at regular train stops or may even be carried onthevehicle, so that when the sand in the container ,is running low thecharged or full container may be substituted for the empty container.The windows .9 provide means for visually .determining the amount .ofsand in a container.

To open the container for relling purposes the wing nut I9 `is .backedoff the zbolt I8 and lthe cover II removed, but this can only be donewhile the container is free of the bracket since with the containersecured to the mounting bracket, .the wing nut If8 is not accessible.andthe cover cannot be removed. This prevents unauthorized persons fromtampering With the sand containers.

'While one. illustrative embodiment of the Ainvention vhas' beendescribed in -detaiLit li-s not the intention to limit the scope to thatembodif l5 The mounting bracket 2 is also provided with -control acommunication from the interior of .the containerY to the passage in thebracket,

.means yon saidbracket for holding said valve `means in position tomaintain said communication open, resilient means for actuating said'valve vmeans to close said communication, a removable top cover for thesand container, said cover being entirely separate from said valvemeans, and Ymeans for Yclamping said cover to the container, said meansbeing so constructed and arranged -as `to be accessible to remove saidcover only when the container is free from lsaid bracket.v

2. A sand storage container for attachment to and removal from sandingsystems for vehicles, comprising a sand containing chamber provided witha xed hopper bottom, a communication leading from said hopper bottom to'the `exterior of the container, valve means carried by said bottom 4for`normally closing said communication, -said val-ve means beingaccessible from the exterior lof the container and being yieldableupwardly to -open said communication, 'a removable top coverv forthejsa'nd container, and means cooperating With Asaid bottom forclamping said cover to the container, said means being so constructedand arranged as to be accessible to remove said cover Vonly when thecontainer is free from said sanding system, and said valve means beingentirely yindependent of said cover and the cover clamping means.

3. In a sanding apparatus for vehicles, the

combination, with `a sanding system, of a funnel shaped bracket includedin the system having a sand chamber and a 'sand conducting dischargepassage leading from said chamber; a sand .container comprising a casingremovably secured .to said bracket, said casing comprising a hopperbottom,` a communication leading from 'the interior of `the container tosaid chamber and valve means carried by said Abottom interiorly of .thecontainer for controlling said communication; .a projection carried 'bysaid bracket for actuating said valve means to a position to open saidcommunication; spring'means carried b y said lbottom for actuating saidvalve means to close said .communication upon removal of the containerfrom said bracket; a removable cover Afor the sand .container having aAcentral vdepending leg adapted to extend `through the hopper bottom tothe .exterior ofthe container; and a nut arranged on the eXterior'of thecontainer and having screwthreaded engagement with said leg andcooperating with said bottom for clamping said cover to the container,vsaid Ynut rbeing accessible to remove the cover only when t-hecontainer is free of the bracket.

4. '1n a *sanding apparatus for vehicles, the combination, with asanding system, of a funnel shaped bracket included in the systemlhaving l.a sand chamber and a central sand conducting dischargepassa-ge leading vfrom said chamber, a sand container removably securedto said bracket for supplying sand to said chamber, said conthreadedengagement with said stern for clamping said cover to the container,said nut being located exteriorly of the container so as to beaccessible for removal of the cover when the container is free from thebracket, and means carried .bythe bracket for actuating said valve meansto open said communication from the container to said chamber uponassembly of said container upon said bracket.

JOSEPH C. MCCUNE.

